1969 Tour de France
The 1969 Tour de France was the 56th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 28 June and 20 July, with 22 stages covering a distance of 4,117 km (2,558 mi). The participant teams were no longer national teams, but were once more commercially sponsored. The race was won by Eddy Merckx who absolutely dominated the rest of the field. As an example in 1967 nine riders finished within 20:00 of the winner, in 1968 nineteen riders were within 20:00 but in 1969 the 10th place rider was +52:56, the 20th place rider was +1:17:36 and only Roger Pingeon finished inside 20:00 of Merckx.
Route of the 1969 Tour de France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dates | 28 June – 20 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stages | 22 + Prologue, including three split stages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distance | 4,117 km (2,558 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winning time | 116h 16' 02" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1969 race is the only time that a single cyclist has won the general classification, the points classification and the mountains classification as well. Eddy Merckx rode on the winning team, Faema, and also won the combination classification as well as the combativity award.
Teams
In 1967 and 1968, the Tour was contested by national teams, but in 1969 the commercially sponsored teams were back.[1] The Tour started with 13 teams, each with 10 cyclists:[2] Eddy Merckx had been removed from the 1969 Giro d'Italia in leading position because of a positive doping result, and was initially not allowed to join the 1969 Tour de France, but his suspension was later lifted.[1]
The teams entering the race were:[2]
Route and stages
The 1969 Tour de France started on 28 June, and had no rest days.[3] The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,556 m (8,386 ft) at the summit tunnel of the Col du Galibier mountain pass on stage 10.[4][5]
Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | 28 June | Roubaix | 10 km (6.2 mi) | Individual time trial | Rudi Altig (FRG) | |
1a | 29 June | Roubaix to Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (Belgium) | 147 km (91 mi) | Plain stage | Marino Basso (ITA) | |
1b | Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (Belgium) | 16 km (9.9 mi) | Team time trial | Faema | ||
2 | 30 June | Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (Belgium) to Maastricht (Netherlands) | 182 km (113 mi) | Plain stage | Julien Stevens (BEL) | |
3 | 1 July | Maastricht (Netherlands) to Charleville-Mézières | 213 km (132 mi) | Plain stage | Eric Leman (BEL) | |
4 | 2 July | Charleville-Mézières to Nancy | 214 km (133 mi) | Plain stage | Rik Van Looy (BEL) | |
5 | 3 July | Nancy to Mulhouse | 194 km (121 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Joaquim Agostinho (POR) | |
6 | 4 July | Mulhouse to Ballon d’Alsace | 133 km (83 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | |
7 | 5 July | Belfort to Divonne-les-Bains | 241 km (150 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Mariano Díaz (ESP) | |
8a | 6 July | Divonne-les-Bains | 9 km (5.6 mi) | Individual time trial | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | |
8b | Divonne-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains | 137 km (85 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Michele Dancelli (ITA) | ||
9 | 7 July | Thonon-les-Bains to Chamonix | 111 km (69 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Roger Pingeon (FRA) | |
10 | 8 July | Chamonix to Briançon | 221 km (137 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Herman Van Springel (BEL) | |
11 | 9 July | Briançon to Digne | 198 km (123 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | |
12 | 10 July | Digne to Aubagne | 161 km (100 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Felice Gimondi (ITA) | |
13 | 11 July | Aubagne to La Grande-Motte | 196 km (122 mi) | Plain stage | Guido Reybrouck (BEL) | |
14 | 12 July | La Grande-Motte to Revel | 234 km (145 mi) | Plain stage | Joaquim Agostinho (POR) | |
15 | 13 July | Revel | 19 km (12 mi) | Individual time trial | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | |
16 | 14 July | Castelnaudary to Luchon | 199 km (124 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Raymond Delisle (FRA) | |
17 | 15 July | Luchon to Mourenx | 214 km (133 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | |
18 | 16 July | Mourenx to Bordeaux | 201 km (125 mi) | Plain stage | Barry Hoban (GBR) | |
19 | 17 July | Bordeaux to Brive | 193 km (120 mi) | Plain stage | Barry Hoban (GBR) | |
20 | 18 July | Brive to Puy de Dôme | 198 km (123 mi) | Stage with mountain(s) | Pierre Matignon (FRA) | |
21 | 19 July | Clermont-Ferrand to Montargis | 329 km (204 mi) | Plain stage | Herman Van Springel (BEL) | |
22a | 20 July | Montargis to Créteil | 111 km (69 mi) | Plain stage | Jozef Spruyt (BEL) | |
22b | Créteil to Paris | 37 km (23 mi) | Individual time trial | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | ||
Total | 4,117 km (2,558 mi)[8] |
Race overview
Rudi Altig won the prologue, where Merckx finished second. In the team time trial in the second part of the first stage, Merckx's team won, and this gave Merckx the lead.
In the second stage, a group escaped, with Merckx's teammate Julien Stevens as highest-ranked cyclist. There were no dangerous competitors in the escape, so Merckx did not chase them. The group stayed away, and Stevens took over the lead, with Merckx in second place.
In the fourth stage, Rik Van Looy escaped, because he wanted to show himself, such that he would be selected for the Belgian squad for the 1969 UCI Road World Championships.[9] Van Looy quickly took several minutes, and became the virtual leader of the race. With less than 40 km to go, Stevens tried to defend his lead by attacking. He was followed by a group of cyclists, including René Pijnen, one of Van Looy's teammates. Pijnen was trying to stop the chase, and this angered the other cyclists in the group. The group nonetheless was able to reduce the margin to less than a minute, and Stevens conserved his lead.[9]
In the fifth stage, Stevens was not able to stay in the first group. Désiré Letort, who had joined Stevens in the chase the previous stage, became the new leader, 9 seconds ahead of Merckx.
The first mountains showed up in the sixth stage, with a mountain finish on the Ballon d’Alsace. Merckx won convincingly: Joaquim Galera was second after 55 seconds, Altig after almost two minutes, and the next cyclist came after more than four minutes. Because Letort was more than seven minutes behind, Merckx was now the leader, with Altig in second place, more than two minutes behind. Notably, the 1965, 1967 and 1968 Tour de France winners in Felice Gimondi, Roger Pingeon and Jan Janssen were all distanced into the surviving peloton group which finished some two and a half minutes behind Altig.[10]
Merckx won the short time trial in stage 8, but only gained two seconds on Altig. Stage 8B was a half stage in which Andrés Gandarias and Michele Dancelli got away from the bunch by almost two minutes setting themselves up for a sprint but Dancelli pulled away near the end and won by four seconds.
In the ninth stage, Roger Pingeon and Merckx were away, with Pingeon winning the sprint. Altig lost almost eight minutes, and was out of contention. The second place was now taken by Pingeon, more than five minutes behind. Stage 10 saw the previous year's runner up Herman Van Springel win the stage which included the climbs of the Col du Télégraphe and the Col du Galibier. He finished about two minutes ahead of the Merckx group with the GC only changing slightly.[11]
Merckx added some time in the eleventh stage, which he won, and the twelfth stage, where he finished in the first group. After the twelfth stage, Merckx was leading by more than seven minutes. After he won the time trial in stage fifteen, it was more than eight minutes.
By then, his victory was all but assured, he just had to make sure that he stayed with his competitors. In the seventeenth stage however, Merckx did something historic. This stage would see the climbs of the Col de Peyresourde, Col d'Aspin, Col du Tourmalet and Col d'Aubisque[12]and the Faema team controlled the pace of the bunch from the very start. Martin Van Den Bossche set a devastating pace while climbing the Tourmalet causing the surviving main field to break apart. Nearing the summit Merckx attacked to claim the points but as he cleared the summit he realized no one else was with him and he attacked again as the descent began. At the bottom of the hill several minutes later he had built a lead of about a minute and it only began to grow from there. Lomme Driessens, the Directeur Sportif for Faema, told Merckx to sit up and wait for the others while taking a few minutes to get some food in him as there was still 105 kilometers to go. Merckx didn't always agree with Driessens on tactics[13] and had second thoughts about sitting up and waiting for everyone else to catch up. When he got his next time check and realized he now had a gap of +3:00 he decided to attack even harder and by the time he reached the summit of the Aubisque he had a gap of about +7:00. He rode consistently with undeniable power as the surviving reduced peloton just could not bring him back, or even cut into the lead he was continuously building over them.[14]
Michele Dancelli crossed the line in 2nd within a group of seven riders just shy of eight minutes behind Merckx. Everyone else including the defending champ was close to or well beyond fifteen minutes behind Merckx. This stage nearly doubled what was already almost certainly an insurmountable lead, and was a defining moment in cycling history when a rider did something that seemed impossible and would likely never be seen again.[15] By winning the final time trial, he increased his winning margin to almost eighteen minutes.
July 20th the race ended with a split stage that arrived in Paris with a 37km individual time trial. The winner of the Points Classification was Merckx, the winner of the Combination Classification was Merckx, the winner of the King of the Mountains competition was Merckx, the Yellow Jersey was won for the first time by Merckx, Merckx was also named the Most Combative Rider and won six stages. Before or since no other rider has accomplished winning all of these competitions in the same tour.
Eric Leman narrowly won the Sprints Competition ahead of the French speaking, Belgian-British rider Michael Wright.
During the 2019 Tour de France Eddy Merckx and the 50th anniversary of this Tour were honored at the Grand Depart in Belgium.[16]
Doping
After the doping-incident with Merckx in the 1969 Giro, the rules for doping offences were changed: riders were no longer removed from the race, but were given a penalty of fifteen minutes in the general classification.[17] After every stage in the 1969 Tour, three cyclists were tested. These were either the first three of the stage, the first three in the general classification, or three randomly selected cyclists.[17] Five riders tested positive: Henk Nijdam, Jozef Timmerman, Rudi Altig, Bernard Guyot and Pierre Matignon.[18][19] Nijdam, Timmerman and Altig requested their B samples to be tested, but they also returned positive. Altig, Guyot and Matignon were given the time penalty of fifteen minutes; Nijdam and Timmerman had already left the race when the results came out.[19]
Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were several classifications in the 1969 Tour de France, three of them awarding jerseys to their leaders.[20] The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification is considered the winner of the Tour.[21]
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification.[22]
There was also a mountains classification. The organisation had categorised some climbs as either first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reached the top of these climbs first, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, but was not identified with a jersey in 1969.[23]
Another classification was the combination classification. This classification was calculated as a combination of the other classifications, its leader wore the white jersey.[24] Specifically it combined the rankings of the general, points, and mountains classifications.[25]
The fifth individual classification was the intermediate sprints classification. This classification had similar rules as the points classification, but only points were awarded on intermediate sprints. In 1969, this classification had no associated jersey.[26]
For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time. The riders in the team that led this classification wore yellow caps.[26]
In addition, there was a combativity award given after each stage to the cyclist considered most combative. The split stages each had a combined winner. The decision was made by a jury composed of journalists who gave points. The cyclist with the most points from votes in all stages led the combativity classification.[27] Eddy Merckx won this classification, and was given overall the super-combativity award.[3] The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was given to the first rider to pass the memorial to Tour founder Henri Desgrange near the summit of the Col du Galibier on stage 10. This prize was won by Merckx.[28][29]
Final standings
Legend | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Denotes the winner of the general classification | Denotes the winner of the points classification | |||
Denotes the winner of the combination classification |
General classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | Faema | 116h 16' 02" |
2 | Roger Pingeon (FRA) | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | + 17' 54" |
3 | Raymond Poulidor (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | + 22' 13" |
4 | Felice Gimondi (ITA) | Salvarani | + 29' 24" |
5 | Andrés Gandarias (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | + 33' 04" |
6 | Marinus Wagtmans (NED) | Willem II–Gazelle | + 33' 57" |
7 | Pierfranco Vianelli (ITA) | Molteni | + 42' 40" |
8 | Joaquim Agostinho (POR) | Frimatic–de Gribaldy–Viva–Wolber | + 51' 24" |
9 | Désiré Letort (FRA) | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | + 51' 41" |
10 | Jan Janssen (NED) | Bic | + 52' 56" |
Points classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | Faema | 244 |
2 | Jan Janssen (NED) | Bic | 150 |
3 | Marinus Wagtmans (NED) | Willem II–Gazelle | 136 |
4 | Roger Pingeon (FRA) | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 131 |
5 | Felice Gimondi (ITA) | Salvarani | 108 |
6 | Raymond Poulidor (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 99 |
7 | Michele Dancelli (ITA) | Molteni | 95 |
8 | Joaquim Agostinho (POR) | Frimatic–de Gribaldy–Viva–Wolber | 91 |
9 | Andrés Gandarias (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | 89 |
10 | Harm Ottenbros (NED) | Willem II–Gazelle | 82 |
Mountains classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | Faema | 155 |
2 | Roger Pingeon (FRA) | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 94 |
3 | Joaquim Galera (ESP) | Fagor | 80 |
4 | Paul Gutty (FRA) | Frimatic–de Gribaldy–Viva–Wolber | 68 |
5 | Andrés Gandarias (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | 54 |
6 | Felice Gimondi (ITA) | Salvarani | 51 |
7 | Raymond Poulidor (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 48 |
8 | Martin Vandenbossche (BEL) | Faema | 36 |
9 | Raymond Delisle (FRA) | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 29 |
10 | Wladimiro Panizza (ITA) | Salvarani | 28 |
Combination classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | Faema | 3 |
2 | Roger Pingeon (FRA) | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 8 |
3 | Felice Gimondi (ITA) | Salvarani | 15 |
4 | Raymond Poulidor (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 16 |
5 | Andrés Gandarias (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | 19 |
Intermediate sprints classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Eric Leman (BEL) | Flandria–De Clerck–Krüger | 53 |
2 | Michael Wright (GBR) | Bic | 46 |
3 | Raymond Riotte (FRA) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 43 |
4 | Domingo Perurena (ESP) | Fagor | 20 |
5 | Stéphan Abrahamian (FRA) | Sonolor–Lejeune | 17 |
6 | Wilfried David (BEL) | Flandria–De Clerck–Krüger | 16 |
7 | José Manuel López Rodríguez (ESP) | Fagor | 11 |
8 | Michele Dancelli (ITA) | Molteni | 10 |
9 | Andrés Gandarias (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | 8 |
10 | Barry Hoban (GBR) | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | 8 |
Team classification
Rank | Team | Time |
---|---|---|
1 | Faema | 351h 50' 56" |
2 | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | + 14' 53" |
3 | Kas–Kaskol | + 1h 01' 42" |
4 | Fagor | + 1h 17' 46" |
5 | Frimatic–de Gribaldy–Viva–Wolber | + 1h 28' 20" |
6 | Salvarani | + 1h 32' 30" |
7 | Mercier–BP–Hutchinson | + 1h 38' 03" |
8 | Molteni | + 1h 41' 38" |
9 | Sonolor–Lejeune | + 1h 41' 41" |
10 | Bic | + 3h 07' 22" |
Combativity classification
Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Eddy Merckx (BEL) | Faema | 419 |
2 | Joaquim Agostinho (POR) | Frimatic–de Gribaldy–Viva–Wolber | 320 |
3 | Michele Dancelli (ITA) | Molteni | 178 |
Felice Gimondi (ITA) | Salvarani | ||
5 | Andrés Gandarias (ESP) | Kas–Kaskol | 159 |
6 | Raymond Delisle (FRA) | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 146 |
7 | Roger Pingeon (FRA) | Peugeot–BP–Michelin | 138 |
8 | Pierre Matignon (FRA) | Frimatic–de Gribaldy–Viva–Wolber | 98 |
9 | Wladimiro Panizza (ITA) | Salvarani | 89 |
10 | Roland Berland (FRA) | Bic | 88 |
Notes
- No jersey was awarded to the leader of the mountains classification until a white jersey with red polka dots was introduced in 1975.[23]
References
- "56ème Tour de France 1969" [56th Tour de France 1969]. Mémoire du cyclisme (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1969 – The starters". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Augendre 2016, p. 60.
- Augendre 2016, pp. 177–178.
- "Tour de France 1969". Het Parool (in Dutch). 27 June 1969. p. 23 – via Delpher.
- Zwegers, Arian. "Tour de France GC top ten". CVCC. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1969 – The stage winners". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Augendre 2016, p. 109.
- "56ème Tour de France 1969 - 4ème étape" (in French). Mémoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- "TDFindex". Bike Race Info. 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020.
- "tdf1969". Bike Race Info. 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020.
- "tdf1969". Bike Race Info. 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020.
- Eddy Merckx: The Cannibal, pages 81-84. Daniel Friebe ISBN 9780091943141 Random House Ebury Press
- "Eddy Merckx, the 1969 Tour de France and the day a Belgian legend was born". Philip Malcom The Independent. 5 July 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020.
- "Eddy Merckx, the 1969 Tour de France and the day a Belgian legend was born". Philip Malcom The Independent. 5 July 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020.
- "Brussels Grand Depart". Tour de France. 2019. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020.
- "Kwartier straf in Tour voor doping". Het vrije volk (in Dutch). Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 28 June 1969. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- "Cyclists guilty of doping". Eugine Register-Guard. Google News. 13 July 1969. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- "Vijf renners 'gesnapt' - Triest slot voor Nijdam". Het vrije volk (in Dutch). Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 14 July 1969. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 452–455.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 452–453.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 453–454.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, p. 454.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 454–455.
- "Tutte le cifre del Tour" [All figures of the Tour]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 21 July 1969. p. 2. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, p. 455.
- van den Akker 2018, pp. 211–216.
- "Veeel geld in Tour te verdienen" [Earn lots of money in Tour]. De Stem (in Dutch). 14 July 1969. p. 4 – via Krantenbank Zeeland.
- "Gandarias, magnífico, pasa al sexto puesto de la general" [You would win, magnificent, go to sixth place overall] (PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 14 July 1969. p. 9.
- "Dag na dag en rit na rit in de Tour" [Day after day and stage after stage in the Tour]. Gazet van Antwerpen (in Dutch). 22 July 1969. p. 32. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019.
- van den Akker, Pieter. "Informatie over de Tour de France van 1969" [Information about the Tour de France from 1969]. TourDeFranceStatistieken.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1969 – Stage 22.02 Créteil > Paris". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Clasificaciones" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 21 July 1969. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2019.
- Planas, Narciso (22 July 1969). "Eddy Merckx se impuso en todos los frentes: General, montaño, regularidad. combinada. combatividad y equipos". Los Sitios de Gerona (in Spanish). Ajuntament de Girona. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
- "Otras clasificaciones" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 21 July 1969. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2019.
- van den Akker, Pieter. "Sprintdoorkomsten in de Tour de France 1969" [Sprint results in the Tour de France 1969]. TourDeFranceStatistieken.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- "Tutte le cifre de Tour" [All tour numbers]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 21 July 1969. p. 2. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019.
Bibliography
- Augendre, Jacques (2016). Guide historique [Historical guide] (PDF). Tour de France (in French). Paris: Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol (2008). The Story of the Tour de France: 1965–2007. 2. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59858-608-4.
- Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-300-2.
- van den Akker, Pieter (2018). Tour de France Rules and Statistics: 1903–2018. Self-published. ISBN 978-1-79398-080-9.
External links
Media related to 1969 Tour de France at Wikimedia Commons